Abstract
IMPORTANCE: Further investigation is needed in the outcomes of currently available treatment for T3 glottic squamous cell carcinoma (SCC), a unique type of laryngeal cancer. OBJECTIVE: To compare overall survival (OS) and functional outcomes among patients with T3 glottic SCC receiving nonsurgical and surgical management. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: This secondary analysis used data from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) registry and Medicare databases. All patients with T3 glottic SCC who received a diagnosis from January 1, 1992, to December 31, 2010, were included. Data were analyzed from April 2014 to August 2015. INTERVENTIONS: Surgery with or without adjuvant radiotherapy and/or chemotherapy. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES: Five-year OS and functional outcomes. RESULTS: Among the 487 patients identified with T3 glottic SCC (418 men [85.8%]; 69 women [14.2%]; median age, 74.3 [interquartile range, 70.4-80.6] years), the 5-year OS for nonsurgical management, surgery alone, and surgery plus adjuvant treatment were 36% (95% CI, 30%-42%), 41% (95% CI, 30%-53%), and 41% (95% CI, 32%-51%), respectively. Multivariable analyses revealed an adjusted hazard ratio for OS of 0.68 (95% CI, 0.49-0.94) for patients receiving surgery alone vs nonsurgical management and 0.75 (95% CI, 0.57-0.98) for patients receiving surgery plus adjuvant treatment vs nonsurgical management. Gastrostomy tube dependence was highest in patients receiving surgery plus adjuvant treatment (30 of 98 patients [30.6%]). Tracheostomy dependence was highest in patients receiving chemoradiotherapy (34 of 92 patients [37.0%]). CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: Overall survival showed a statistically significant and clinically meaningful improvement in patients with T3 glottic SCC who underwent surgery compared with a nonsurgical treatment. Furthermore, the data suggest that adjuvant and nonsurgical treatment result in a dysfunctional larynx; however, this association needs further study.